The name Pynkennay reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Pynkennay family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Pynkennay family lived in Northampton. Their name, however, is a reference to Picquigny, in Somme, Normandy, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)

Pynkennay Early Origins

The surname Pynkennay was first found in Northampton where the family claim descent from Gilo de Pincheni, who lived in the reign of Henry I. He was granted by the monks of St. Lucien in France lands at Wedon. [2]CITATION[CLOSE]Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print. Wulfhere, the first Christian king of Mercia, had a palace here, which, after his death, was converted by his daughter Werburgh into a nunnery, of which she became abbess, and which was destroyed by the Danes in the ninth century. [3]CITATION[CLOSE]Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print. Ansculfus de Pinchengi was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as holding lands in Berkshire. [4]CITATION[CLOSE]Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)

Pynkennay Spelling Variations

Pynkennay Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Pinkney, Pinckney, Pinkley, Pinkly, Pinkie and others.

Pynkennay Early History

Pynkennay Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pynkennay research. Another 329 words (24 lines of text) covering the years 1303, 1599 and 1674 are included under the topic Early Pynkennay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pynkennay Early Notables (pre 1700)

Pynkennay Early Notables (pre 1700)

Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pynkennay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Pynkennay name or one of its variants: Henry Pinkie settled in Virginia in 1619.

The Pynkennay Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Pynkennay Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.